Beaufort man charged with DUI apologizes, but insists he was ‘not that drunk’

A 46-year-old Beaufort man turned remorseful after he was pulled over and charged with drunken driving on Lady’s Island shortly before 10 p.m. on Wednesday.

Still, he told a Beaufort County Sheriff’s deputy he was “not that drunk.”

The man told the deputy that he had only had two beers but he later said they were actually two “tall boys,” which he estimated at 32 oz. to 40 oz. each, according to a Sheriff’s Office report. He was pulled over near the intersection of Sams Point and Fairfield roads.

“I know I (messed) up, I apologize,” he allegedly said, according to the Sheriff’s Office report.

He failed several field sobriety tests, according to the report. His eyes were red and bloodshot, he had trouble keeping his balance and he smelled strongly of alcohol.

Still, he maintained that he was “not that drunk,” but would not give a breath sample, according to the report.

After the deputy fastened the man’s police cruiser seatbelt for him, the man admitted his wife had first hidden his car keys and that she didn’t know he had taken the vehicle, according to the report.

The man was held in the Beaufort County Detention Center through Thursday morning and released shortly before noon, according to online detention center records. His bond information was not available online Thursday afternoon.

This story was originally published May 11, 2017 at 4:05 PM with the headline "Beaufort man charged with DUI apologizes, but insists he was ‘not that drunk’."